The radioactivity due to carbon-14 measured in a piece of a wooden casket from an ancient burial site was found to produce 20 counts per minute from a given sample, whereas the same amount of carbon from a piece of living wood produced 160 counts per minute. The half-life of carbon-14, a beta emitter, is 5730 years. Thus we would estimate the age of the artifact to be about
A)5,700 years.
B)11,500 years.
C)14,800 years.
D)17,200 years.
E)23,000 years.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Answer of The radioactivity due to carbon-14 measured in a piece of a wooden casket from an ancient burial site was found to produce 20 counts per minute from a given sample, whereas the same amount of carbon from a piece of living wood produced 160 counts per minute. The half-life of carbon-14, a beta emitter, is 5730 years. Thus we would estimate the age of the artifact to be about
A)5,700 years.
B)11,500 years.
C)14,800 years.
D)17,200 years.
E)23,000 years.

The Radioactivity Due to Carbon-14 Measured in a Piece of a Wooden